


Stars Like Five Hundred Million Bells

by Kookvi



Category: ARMY - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Bells, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hill fic, Jung Kook song Begin, Kim Namjoon - Freeform, Kim Seokjin - Freeform, Light Angst, Min Yoongi - Freeform, One Shot, Strangers to Lovers, bts - Freeform, jeon jungkook - Freeform, jung hoseok - Freeform, kim taehyung - Freeform, park jimin - Freeform, soulmate fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kookvi/pseuds/Kookvi
Summary: And at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells.~ Antoine De Saint ExuperyOh, the bells were ringing alright. If there was anyone else on that hilltop, he or she would definitely deny the phenomenon but these two knew that the bells were ringing.





	Stars Like Five Hundred Million Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first time publishing a fan fiction. I hope you all like it!  
> Tell me how it is in the comments. You can give me suggestions too. I'd honestly love that.  
> This fiction is inspired by my absolute love for Jeon Jung Kook.
> 
> P.S- I AM PLACING COPYRIGHTS ON THE CONTENTS OF THE FICTION. DO NOT PLAGIARISE ANYTHING PLEASE. IT TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK TO COME UP WITH CONTENTS OF OUR OWN.  
> P.P.S- THE SONG IS PURELY MINE(SORRY FOR THE SLIGHT SPOILER). I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU DO NOT USE IT FOR YOURSELF. REPEATING AGAIN, I HAVE MY COPYRIGHTS.
> 
> I hope I am not being rude. It's just a genuine concern.  
> Anyway, enjoy!  
> Do subscribe!

She had one passion since she could comprehend what the word “passion” meant, and that was writing. She wouldn’t accept any explanation for following one’s dreams except that it was one’s passion. And it could be utterly ridiculous and it’d not make sense to an outsider but being true to one’s stretch of passion was all that mattered. How she ended up in Seoul was somewhere along this rollercoaster of a ride that her life had been in pursuing what she believed in. She had always wanted to learn Korean. And she did. But she came to love the language so much that she found herself enrolling into the Seoul University to learn the literature itself. It had been a rough year, getting accustomed to the new culture and accepting her own individuality amidst it. Her introvert self had made the journey so far a little rough but she loved every bit of it. Sure it had also been hard many a times like at that very moment when her classmates had planned an impromptu trip to Busan and she couldn’t say no.

 

Busan was a lovely place- full of beaches. But a persistent loneliness clouded her. Yes, she had classmates. She was well-acquainted with them but none of them was someone she could personally call a friend. What frustrated her more was that she had no way out of the trip. All twenty of them came to a beach for a nice time and for a spectator it’d seem that they were indeed having a blissful time; except that she felt completely out of place. Making small talk was never her forte. Even the serene surrounding did nothing to lift up her mood. She was surrounded by the soothing sound of waves mingling with the chattering of the people around her. She sighed deeply. Going in the water didn’t seem too keen an idea to her. She literally had been in there for two hours before, that too by herself. To escape the momentary irritable solitude, she resorted to exploring places around the beach. She made a quick conversation with the two girls sitting beside her telling them that she was going for a walk. They didn’t seem to care much as they were busy in a heavy conversation with two drunk boys. One of them nodded slightly at her and she took it as a sign to leave it for the best of her.

 

It was almost the time for the sun to set and the weather had picked up a sudden chilliness. She grabbed her jacket and left for the exit. The beach was accessible through a small shack restaurant. She bought a bottle of water on her way out. The owner of the restaurant seemed way too disinterested as he handed her the bottle without even a glance at her; his eyes fixated on a baseball match telecasted on the T.V set. The nonchalant attitude killed her curiosity enough to ask him for places around the beach that could provide her a quiet time for herself. Hence, she took it upon herself to look for that on her own. She took the only road that led out of the beach and walked for a while looking for solace. It had been quite a while since she was walking. She passed by a few shops and houses. Nothing interesting enough to catch her eye. She was almost about to give up and turn around to the beach when a ruddy path to a thin stretch of greenery caught her eye. Usually she wouldn’t dare explore such places when the sun was almost setting but that day she felt a surge of embarrassing bravery emanating from her loneliness. She looked around a bit. It wasn’t a place sitting isolated from the town really. Even if something were to happen to her she could immediately seek someone out. And, to be honest, nothing apart from this irresistible road seemed like a fun idea. So she trudged along the path clutching her jacket tight and keeping her eyes and ears all over the place. The path was a short walk, however, and it led to a view she swore she had never come across. There stood at the end of the walk a small pathway to a small hill. Running up the hill were a set of stone stairs. The place was breezy and it took away some load off her mind. Oh, she would definitely go up to check this hill out. With quick steps she ascended the stony way. It took her a few minutes to reach the top but boy, was it worth it. The view from atop was nothing less than heaven. A dark crimson was painted across the sky and the few shades of light were dulling second by second. She caught her breath while she felt the sky grow old. Once her breath had settled and her mind was at peace, she sat down at one corner of the hill. The valley below the hill was hardly visible because of the quickly transitioning sky but the place had a comforting warmth to it. The breeze was still cold and she had her jacket around her safely but the loneliness that had clouded her before was seeping away. There wasn’t anything that could make the moment better.

 

Coming to his home town was Jung Kook’s idea. He wasn’t denying that. But he didn’t have chilling at the beachside as an agenda in his mind. The concert was approaching fast and he was still perfecting his solo performance. Coming to Busan was his idea, yes. But he wanted a change of place to concentrate better. And that’s why he had suggested it in the first place. But instead of supporting their dongsaeng, his hyungs were sipping exotic mock tails at the beach side of their resort. He was the only one with a visible frown on his face, and it was intentional. Did he really had to word his anxiety to his hyungs? Couldn’t they see his smug face or his unusually quiet demeanour? Jung Kook was on the verge of losing his patience but what worth would it be? Honestly he didn’t have the strength to reason with them at the moment nor did he have the mood. The sky was a pretty shade of red and the sea was calming his nerves as if by habit. The beach was his sought out place since he was a kid.  He’d come there often, usually when he wanted to settle his mind. And maybe that’s why he had half-heartedly agreed to going to the beach as his self was torn between the clammy but intense atmosphere of the practice room and the calming beach. He had chosen the latter. He needed a break, alright. However, the break time was extending into a vacation and it made him fidgety. His mind kept going back to his song for the performance. He would hum it from time to time, trying to memorize the moves that would go with it. There were a few parts that kept slipping from his mind and he couldn’t wait to go back to the practice room to place them in his routine memory. But the hyungs wouldn’t budge and he would throw a rock at them if he had to see them relaxed any longer. But they had agreed to go back together and it was safer that way anyway so he decided to go to his second favourite place instead. He wasn’t really gaining anything staying there. Jung Kook got up as Taehyung glanced his way. He told him where he was heading to in a swift medley of words and was out of Taehyung’s sight in less than a minute.

As he trudged on the familiar path, he hummed the melody again. His voice was a little sore and it upset him immensely. How couldn’t he get into the rhythm of his own solo song? It was his song and his feelings etched in it but the connection lacked. But he knew why he was lacking in the dance. It didn’t reach his soul and Jung Kook danced from his soul. And when his soul was disturbed, he couldn’t bring his voice and body into harmony. This information constantly bawled at the back of his mind as he walked towards their car. He reached into his pocket to take the keys out, got into the car and drove off on the knowledgeable path.

The beach was the closest to his house and that’s why he was allowed to visit it alone as a kid. But like every other beach in Busan, it had been infected by swarming tourists along the years and it wasn’t a happy place he could call his own anymore. And this is what made him set out to find a solace he could call his own in the first place. Jung Kook was eleven when, on a sunny afternoon, he had walked along the same path with heavy steps. The sun was scorching bright, just like his determination. He was aware of trespassing the approved boundary by his mother but he couldn’t stand people taking away his privacy anymore. The walk had seemed longer in the heat but he had eventually come across the ruddy path of the curve and had been curious to see what lay ahead. Hence, the hill came to be his new solace. It was made to be trekked by people, it had the steps leading to the top but the curve to the hill had no signboard. Maybe its creator had been seeking a solace one fine day too and upon not finding it, had made one instead. He had smiled graciously to himself as he stood atop the hill, his hair picking up a dance of its own with the breeze. His feet had felt lighter at that moment. The creator of the road had been smart, alright. He knew someone would come along one day seeking this place and Jung Kook was glad it was him. A year later he had started training under a music industry but he’d still come back to the hill whenever he felt like. He’d see bottles of water or even alcohol lying around atop sometimes, so he knew there were other people who visited his hill too. Fortunately for him, he would be there alone during his times of visiting it. He had also grown a lingering attachment to this place and would frequently take it upon himself to clean it from time to time. It had obviously crossed his mind that the hardly frequented place could be dangerous but it had a warm feeling to it and it eased him out every time. Almost no one knew about this heavenly abode of his and he preferred to keep it that way. It was his happy place and he’d come there to think clearly every time his life had felt foggy. He’d also exercise his vocals as a trainee there. The place was more of a friend to him. But now that he was an idol, he had had less occasions to frequent the hill. His hyungs had replaced his happy place, in a good way, mind you. However, that day he needed to get his soul fixed and thus he drove to the place.

He could already feel his body relaxing as the curve came into the view. He parked the car along the curve and got out to cover the rest of the distance by foot. He climbed up the all too familiar steps, which seemed a little worn out and he preferred to think of it as his own doing. He’d never shy away from admitting that he was the only person who had traced the same path countless of times through the years. As the top came into view, step by step, he felt at ease bit by bit. The place was a magic his soul needed, and it was already working. When he reached the last step, he stood there for a while to take in the view that was etched in his mind like a painting. There was only a faint light in the sky, not even enough to reveal the scenery much but Jung Kook had it memorised like a pledge. He moved forward when he had eyed the place wholly and walked towards his corner of the hill. He was careful in his step as it was hard to look around but he did get to his edge safely. As he prepared himself to sit down, his foot slipped on a small rock which made enough sound to startle the girl he had failed to notice a few metres beside him. She yelped in fright and got on her feet immediately. The earphones in her ear hung around her neck and she restlessly looked for the source of the sound.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! It was just a rock.” Jung Kook immediately responded to the commotion, being startled by it too. However, he couldn’t make out who the stranger was and could only hear her heightened breath. The girl, not at all reassured by the soft words, unlocked her phone and shone it on the stranger’s face, thinking it as soon to be her murderer’s face. When the thin light, dulled further by the fog, lit up his face delicately, she stood petrified at the spot. Jeon Jung Kook. Jeon-freaking-Jung-Kook was her soon to be murderer? She shook her head at her stupidity and her mouth fell slightly agape to let in some air.

“Yes, please breathe. I didn’t mean to catch you off guard like that. Frankly, I didn’t expect anyone to be here at this hour.” He mumbled the last few words at the girl who looked like she had seen a ghost. She had paled up and the thin light of her phone highlighted her fear-stricken face. Jung Kook suddenly felt sorry for the girl and contemplated comforting the girl further. A slight blush adorned his face as he rubbed his nape nervously. He wasn’t too easy with the ladies.

She, on the other hand, was going through a whirlpool of her own. What was he doing on a deserted place like that? Wasn’t he supposed to be guarded by at least ten body guards around him? More than that how did she find the man of her dreams on a freaking hill? Was she hallucinating? Had she fallen asleep? What was going on? Oh, she had been obsessed with the k-pop band BTS, of which Jung Kook was a part, since years now but wasn’t she supposed to meet him in a fan meet; “if” she could afford to. Her mouth had dried as she felt her head spinning at the numerous thoughts and she looked around the place to validate her position. Okay, this was reality. This was actually happening. When she glanced back at Jung Kook, he had reddened up a bit and looked utterly discomforted. And this is when it made sense to her. He had come to the place to look for the only luxury an idol yearns for: privacy. And how would she be a good fan if she couldn’t provide him with that.

Sensing the uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke,” I’m sorry, I thought this was my last day on Earth.”

Jung Kook’s face broke into a smile at her reply. Maybe the few hours ahead of them won’t be as arduous as he first presumed it to be. As the air around them settled, both of them took their respective places on the edge of the hill, maintaining a congenial distance between them. Jung Kook felt a little weird at the company of someone for the first time in his numerous visits to the place all these years. However, it didn’t seem as bad because the girl was obviously unaware of his identity, thank you very much. She also seemed foreign, hinting at her obliviousness. BTS was hugely popular in South Korea and instances like these were rare for the members. His privacy prevailed and he couldn’t help but think how the place was magical. It had always guarded his privacy. The creeping silence was uncomfortable, though, so Jung Kook decided to break the ice. He’d always felt himself in that blissful place and that night was no different He decided to test his luck further.

‘So, do you come here often?”

The girl looked up at him, hesitated a bit, but answered finally.

“Not really. I haven’t been here before. Was just listening to some music,” she pointed to her earphones and continued,” I didn’t even realise it had gotten this dark until you, well…”

Jung Kook chuckled lightly as she stopped mid-sentence.

She felt really shy. She had noticed precisely how comfortable Jung Kook had made himself since he sat down. It seemed like he knew the place, as if he had come here often. Well, Busan was his home town, everyone knew that; so it was definitely a possibility. But, what was she supposed to do at that moment? She was ardent on not making it obvious that she knew him, nay, “stanned” him, in a purely fan-girl slang. But it wasn’t an easy task. God knew how she was basically trembling inside, sitting so close to the man she had fantasized meeting in different ways and different places, millions of times. She held her hands tight and tried to merge with the surrounding, although it seemed fruitless. She was glad when he himself broke the eerie silence.

“Well, right about..,” Jung Kook glanced at his watch, “now, a street light should light up the place.”

As he finished reciting his carefully observed phenomenon, experienced a number of times, a street light came to life and shone on the hill briskly. It wasn’t much, but it definitely lifted off the ghostly feel of the place. It felt nice and both of them welcomed the feeling.

“Wow! What are you? The guardian of this place?” She asked, amused.

“Hmm. I like the feel of the name. You can say that I’m the guardian of this tiny galaxy of mine.”

She snorted lightly. He had a lousy sense of humour himself and picked on his Jin hyung’s dad jokes. Oh, this boy, really!

“Why? It’s true!” Jung Kook exclaimed, a bit offended at the depreciation of his effort at humour.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s hard for me to accept lame jokes based on the funniest movie Marvel has made.” She teased a bit, the urge being irresistible.

“It isn’t! The Avengers and the Civil War are sassier than Guardians of the Galaxy could ever be.”

“Are you kidding me? Are you saying Peter Quill, the Star Lord, has less sass than the Avengers? Do you hear yourself?” She threw up her hands disbelievingly.

“And do you hear yourself denying the sass Lord, Tony Stark, himself?”

She eyed him curiously. Did she want to get into a disagreement with her bias on one of her favourite fandoms? Truth to be told, her blood boiled at the prospect of teaching the boy how the Marvel logic worked, but she decided against it.

“Who’s your favourite Marvel superhero?” She asked instead, mouthing his answer herself as he answered what she already knew: Iron Man. And boy, did he say it with a pride flinching on his smirk.

“Who’s yours? The Star Lord?” He questioned back, rolling his eyes.

“Spiderman,” she answered swiftly, with a raised eyebrow, “Ain’t no one got the level of sass that Peter Parker has.”

“But he isn’t even a part of the original Avengers!”

“And that’s why I asked you who’s your favourite superhero, not your favourite Avenger.” The smirk was hers this time.

Jung Kook had a hard time comprehending how a stranger had challenged his love for Iron Man. Who was she? And how did he get himself into a minor argument with a pretty stranger? However, he decided to recall his manners instead of fuming and initiated introductions.

“Okay, okay. You win. By the way, I’m Jung Kook.” He extended his hand towards her with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Zoey. Nice to meet you, umm, in the most unexpected place ever!” The comment was genuine. This was the last setting she’d have imagined meeting Jung Kook in, and it trickled in her speech. He seemed oblivious to the obviousness of the statement though, thank fully.

“Yeah. I know right! What brings you here?” Jung Kook eyed her as she prepared her answer. He felt oddly at peace, just sitting there, making small talk with a girl. His heart seemed to be in a flip flop at the effortless interaction. It was so unlike him to talk so freely! Yet he was at a hill top, eager to know what exactly had made someone seek this place, just like he had. Zoey was glancing up at the sky. The sky looked pretty as she could see quite a lot of stars, not a usual sight in the city she lived in. Yes, the place was truly magical, and his presence added to it.

“I was here with my classmates for a trip. But, umm...”

“You felt out of place?”

“I felt out of place.” Her eyes fell from the sky to his eyes, and it stayed there. She smiled at him, amazed at the perfect understanding starting to build between them.

“I guess everyone who comes here feels the same way.” Jung Kook’s eyes lingered on hers for a while but he looked away to the sky, breaking the delicious moment. It was a cloudless night, just the way he liked it.

“You, mister, know quite well about the place and people here! Are you even real? Or did I just fall asleep at the edge of a hill top!”

Jung Kook laughed heartily at that.

“You said it yourself, I’m the guardian of the place.” He winked at her, teasingly.

“Oh, seriously, what’s your deal?!” Zoey nudged him ever so lightly, bending a bit to cover the distance between them. An immediate regret emerged in her as she realised how she had initiated a kind of physical contact between them already. It had been, what, ten minutes since they had been talking? She waited with bated breath to see if her action had offended him. However, Jung Kook moved a bit towards her at the nudge. She sighed in relief. She mentally made a note to be careful from the next time. Jung Kook, on the other hand, felt as if electricity had passed through his body when Zoey’s hand touched his shoulder but his body had reacted in the most unexpected way as he moved closer at the touch. How was it all so easy? Wasn’t he the worse with girls? He resorted to concentrate on his answer instead.

As he forced himself to look at her again without revealing the effect of her touch, he worded his reply,” This is my go-to place. It has always been, since I was a kid. And I’ve come to familiarise with the surroundings through the years. I’m pretty sure whoever made this hill habitable felt out of place at some point in his life too.” He smiled through his eyes as these words escaped his mouth. Zoey felt herself melting at the sight. How was it that she was the one sitting there listening to his personal stories? How had God, if he existed, been gracious enough to put her in this spot? They had been talking for quite a while now and she fell harder than she ever had all these years. Was this the true Jung Kook she was beginning to know? The air around them thinned more and more as they got more and more comfortable around each other. When Zoey kept quiet at his reply, soaking in his words, and the silence itself didn’t feel out of place, both of them felt immensely aware of how enchanted they were with each other’s presence.

Jung Kook wanted to know more. The girl was no less than a mystery he wanted to decode. He had somehow completely forgotten about his reason to come to his solace. Moreover, for the first time in seven years, he had a company on the hill! That too someone who made him more and more curious by the second.

“Are you from Busan?” He finally asked.

“Oh, no. I live in Seoul. I’m studying Korean literature from the Seoul University. I was so moved by the language that I literally moved to Korea to study it.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her hands.

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

“Wh-what?”

Jung Kook looked so deep into her eyes before uttering the next words that it seemed like he was boring holes into hers, or maybe looking right into her as if he could see through the walls she had put up to the world. Her insides clenched into a knot.

He finally spoke,” Well you said you moved here to pursue what you love but look at you. You’re sitting here with a stranger, instead of enjoying back at the beach with your classmates. You’re not happy. Or, you’re trying too hard to be happy.”

His stare was so grave that she could do nothing but let down her guard. She smiled ruefully and sighed.

“It’s not really that, you know. I am happy. I’ve always got to do what I wanted to do. Most people don’t get that. But...I feel I did not really yield that luck of mine.”

She chewed on her lower lip, looking back into his eyes.

“And why do you feel that?” Jung Kook was genuinely curious. How could anyone feel so guilty about living their dream? It reminded him of his own past, how he had moved to Seoul to pursue and live his dream. He had never looked back in regret.

“I don’t know. I’m not really giving back, I feel. I was meant to tell the world stories, countless of them. And I’m not.”

She was quiet for a while, trying to make sense of her thoughts.

“Also, I’m not making stories, or living them. I don’t have anyone here whom I can call a close friend. The worst part is, I don’t even try. You’re right. Look at me. I am sitting here with a stranger, instead of enjoying with my classmates at the beach. And I love beaches. I feel like I’m at home when the waves touch my feet. It’s just so soothing. It’s better than being on a hill!” She chuckled at that, he did too.

“What else?”

“Nothing else.”

Jung Kook shook his head. There was something else and he wanted to know. Why he wanted to know, that was a puzzle to him too.

“Come on, spill it out.” Jung Kook gave her a reassuring smile.

Zoey narrowed her eyes at him. He wouldn’t let go of the topic.

“Alright,” She sighed and her torso sunk a bit,” I don’t feel that my words are worthy of being put out?”

“Why?”

“Well, because, in simple terms, they suck.”

“Really, is that why?” Note the sarcasm.

Zoey gulped. “I’m scared they won’t have an impact. They are my words, my feelings. What if the world doesn’t care about them?”

 “And what if they resonate with someone’s feelings?”

She shook her head, as she looked up at the clear sky. What did he know, she thought to herself. He didn’t know what she wrote about. And she didn’t know how to make sense of her feelings at that moment.

“You won’t get it Jung Kook. And seriously, why am I the only one talking? What do you do? And more importantly, what are you doing here? Or is it your daily job to guard this place?”

Jung Kook was silent for a while. What would he say? I’m a k-pop star and I’m surprised you don’t know me?

“Fine, don’t tell me your secrets. I’m sure you have a contractual agreement with some Lord to guard the secrets of your galaxy.”

Zoey smirked playfully and he looked at her admiringly. Maybe too admiringly. She wasn’t a pushover. And he didn’t need to tell her, if he didn’t want to. But the girl beside him had such a warm aura around her that Jung Kook felt like he owed her a clean slate too.

“Yes, you’re not allowed to know how I became the master of this place but I am a dancer; that you’re allowed to know.”

Okay, maybe he wasn’t all too honest with her. But she hadn’t been too. And he knew both of them had their reasons. And it was rare for him to have a conversation with someone like a normal human being. He was going to savour every sip of that luxury. She didn’t treat him like he was an idol. She didn’t fidget nervously around him or told him that she loved him and he was her world. He loved his fans, he really did but he loved it too when people looked past his idol image. And that was rare, unfortunately.

“Oh, you dance?” Zoey tried to seem surprised. She really did.

“Yes. It’s my passion. I can’t describe in coherent words what dancing makes me feel like. When I feel my body moving with the rhythm of a song, it seems like I’ve achieved nirvana. I think, I think that’s what everyone feels when they do something they love.”

“Hmm, I guess so.” She had seen him dance, way too many times. But listening about his love for dancing from his own mouth had a completely different effect on her. She was blissfully made aware again how she had access to his uncensored thoughts. She smiled to herself contentedly.

“Why I’m here is a different story altogether. It’s really peaceful sitting here and getting my mind to think straight. I come here a lot. Since I was a kid, I mean.”

“So which thought of yours needs a straightening today?”

Jung Kook was leaning back, with his elbows securely arching his torso and like Zoey, his eyes darted back and forth between the dark shade of the sky and the dimly lit face of her. He had tried not to ease up too much into her company but had failed. Words would just slip through his mouth. And he swore he was having a hard time censoring them.

“My soul feels broken today, I guess.”

“Why? No nirvana today?”

“You can say that. There’s this, uh, event coming up and I can’t get the hang of the choreography. And it upsets my heart tremendously. I want it to be perfect. It’s my…it’s my dance.”

Jung Kook’s fingers formed into a fist as he uttered the last words through gritted teeth. She knew what he was talking about. And she knew why his soul was broken. However, Jung Kook worded her thoughts as he continued.

“I don’t usually feel this way but, but I had an accident a while back in this, uh, in this event I performed. My performance was supposed to be the highlight and it was going good and I was confident. But…I lost my footing in a particular step and crashed onto the stage, disturbing the whole formation. I also hurt my knee. But that wasn’t really the problem. My mistake cost my whole team. The music stopped suddenly and the crowd started hissing in unison and we couldn’t get the act together again because how could we? Why would we get the music playing again? Why should we get that luxury just because I lost my footing? So we didn’t. It’s because of me that we stopped the performance mid-way and it is because of me that my fa—the people I love the dearest…were disappointed in me.”

 

The pain was reflected in his voice as his mind brought back the painful memory of that day. He closed his eyes shut and Zoey fought back every urge in her being to not wrap the boy in a tight hug. Of course she knew “the day” and “the performance”. It happened a month back in their Hong Kong concert. The fans worldwide had been sorry for him and sympathised with him. They knew that he had felt really bad. However, it was only in his presence that she understood how much of a hard time he was going through. One bad performance had inflicted much damage to his confidence level. She could almost feel the unbearable pain herself.

“If they are the people you love the most, they wouldn’t be disappointed in you, don’t you think?” Zoey cocked her head to a side as she spoke in the softest words she could find.

“But, they expect a certain level of performance from me. And I let them down.”

“Or maybe, you just made them realise that you’re only human and thus bound to make mistakes.”

 Jung Kook smiled shyly at that. He was embarrassed, alright. His mistake was everywhere for everyone to see.

“But, see maybe you should look at the situation at hand in this way,” Zoey turned to Jung Kook’s side as she continued,” You have a brilliant chance to prove the haters wrong. You should set the stage on fire in your next performance. You should dance like you’ve never had. You should prove the haters wrong, because honestly, if “the people you love” can’t understand your mistake then they don’t love you as much you think they do.”

Zoey spoke so animatedly and with such finality in her voice that Jung Kook couldn’t help but grin. This was the first time in the entire month of his struggle with coming to terms with that unfortunate day when he felt the painful knot in his heart loosening. And maybe his soul had fixed itself up a little too. Or maybe she had. It was a chilly night and his jacket helped to keep him warm but it was no match to the warmth he felt emanating from her presence and touching his soul right where it had cracked. Her presence had been growing on him since they started talking like an hour ago, but now it was filling him up, one spoonful at a time. Was he falling?

As Jung Kook grinned wide to reveal his bunny-like teeth, Zoey grinned back at him. It was only so much she could do to make him feel better and she was glad that he did feel better. They were generously basking in each other’s company when a faint sound of a tune resonated through the valley below them.

“Oh, what’s that?!” Zoey exclaimed.

“Oh that’s just an aspiring musician. He plays the mouth organ often. He lives really close by and that is why his tune echoes around here. And I’m sure he doesn’t know that.”

“That’s beautiful! I’ve never heard this tune though!”

“Yeah, me neither. That’s because it’s his own. In fact I’ve never heard him playing anything that I know of. It’s always a tune of his own. But I don’t know who he is, neither have I heard him play on any platform. Ah! Maybe he’s just like you! Too afraid to show the beauty of his music to the world.” Jung Kook arched his eyebrows at Zoey as she blushed.

The music was beautiful. It had the power to sway even the coldest heart. And she could see what effect it had on the one sitting right by her. He was swaying with the music, as if completely engulfed by it. His eyes were closed and he had the most heavenly smile on his face. She could look at that face for the rest of her life and wouldn’t grow tired of staring. But Jung Kook snapped out of his reverie as he felt her eyes on him and he stared right back into them. The moment felt nothing less than from that of a movie to him. The music played through the otherwise silent night and the two set of eyes danced to it.

But it was not a movie and so he had to force himself to form words and so he did.

“I want to know what that one thing that is troubling you is.”

Zoey was recalled back to the moment too and she blinked at him.

“You know that one thing that you think I won’t get.”

Zoey sighed. Okay, maybe she could show him her deepest secret. So she dig deep into her side pocket and took out a piece of a dilapidated paper and handed it to him.

“What is this?” He responded, taking the piece of paper from her and unfolded it.

“Give it a read.”

And so he did.

 

TELL THEM HOW WE FIRST MET

 

Tell them how we first met

You can sing the song to my words

Those bells you heard at the sunset?

Tell them how we clicked

 

Unexpected because you and I didn't fit the puzzle

But there was something in the way you looked at me

Or maybe it was in the way I kept stuttering

Tell them how you thought it was funny

 

I think there was something in the air that day

The leaves were falling as quickly as my heart

And your smile never left your face

Tell them how we first met

 

Okay keep the details of the handshake to yourself

You and I both felt the current at the same time

How your eyes stopped talking and words came to your help.

Yes, tell them about the feeling sublime.

 

Beautiful it was to have someone keep me up all night

You didn't sleep either, the bells were still ringing, right?

Couldn't wait to meet me again.

Tell them about our lingering conversation at brunch.

 

I think there was something in the music that day

The guitar strummed at the pace of my heart

And your eyes never left my gaze

Tell them how we fell in love.

 

You can sing, sing your heart away

My words will flow through your music

Show them just how your voice makes my heart sway

I count on you to break the delicious illusion.

 

Tell them how we first met

And how far we've come since that day

Memories, tears, dreams and secrets

Tell them who you share them with everyday

 

I think there was something in the air that day

The leaves were falling as quickly as my heart

And your smile never left your face

Tell them how we first met.

 

“Wow. Did…did you write that?” Jung Kook asked her with the expression of pure astonishment and Zoey nodded at him nervously.

“Zoey, that’s beautiful! I mean how can you feel so low about yourself when you’re capable of penning down such mesmerising lyrics? I mean the bells…”

“They are inspired from this anime I watched where bells ring when you…”

“When you see your soul mate.” He finished her sentence.

“Yeah.” She knew that both of them knew what the bells signified.

 “So there’s a guy, in your life?” The words came out of his mouth bitterer than he anticipated as he looked at her with bated breath.

“There is a guy. But he’s not in my life.” Zoey chuckled achingly.

“Oh,” Well, Jung Kook’s soul celebrated a little. How selfish, he thought to himself, as he continued,” Unrequited love?”

Zoey scoffed in amusement. No, it wasn’t an unrequited love. It was the kind of love where the other didn’t know that she existed. Well, now he knew but that was that. There was not going to be any further developments. In a while both of them would depart to their own little worlds and he might even forget her face. Nevertheless, she felt oddly brave that night and so she told him how the song came to existence.

“It’s not an unrequited love. He’s my muse. He has been my muse since two years now. Before that, I only used to pen down sad, mournful songs. I had begun to think that it was my forte, writing sad love songs. But since I got to know him, I couldn’t think of anything heart breaking. And I had things in my mind that I needed to pen down since I started loving him and when I did, well, it wasn’t a sad song. I could feel all my feelings being translated into those words. And it’s a big deal, because he is a big part of nurturing my creativity. I mean my livelihood depends on it! It’s only since I got to know him that I realised that the muse had been dead and that he brought it back. No, it’s definitely not an unrequited love. It’s not even a love I yearn for. It’s just a simple love that transcends physical limitations. It inspires me. _It made me begin_.”

Jung Kook had been looking at her hands articulating the thoughts of her mind but he looked up at her last words and found her looking right back at him. Zoey realised it too but she had been speaking the truth, to her muse himself. How could she filter her feelings at a moment like that? She smiled at him innocently and he returned the smile. No, he didn’t doubt her, not even a bit. She had been honest about her thoughts and it was for some guy she really respected. How dare he doubt that?

The mouth organ was still playing a melody, different from the one before. This time it was Zoey who swayed with it. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand again. He finally understood what she had been afraid of. It was her feelings he was holding onto and it meant a lot to her, obviously. Of course she was afraid that her feelings wouldn’t be respected by the world.

 

The music was still playing and Zoey let it touch her completely as she danced to its rhythm, her eyes closed, as though taking in the melody wholly. Meanwhile, Jung Kook concentrated hard on the lyrics in his hands and let his throat hum along with the faint melody playing at a distance. The hum was then replaced by the words right in front of his eyes as he placed the words in the music.

 

Tell them how we first met

You can sing the song to my words.

 

He sang. As his voice touched Zoey’s ears, her body stopped moving in an instant and she looked at him swiftly. He was singing those words, _her_ words, in his beautiful voice. The voice that touched every cell of her being. She had always loved his voice, it was magical and listening to it right up front made her feel like she was indeed dreaming. But even if she was, she didn’t want to wake up. No, she could live there forever.

Jung Kook looked at her too and he repeated the lyrics and continued singing to the melody echoing in the background.

 

Tell them how we first met

You can sing the song to my words

Those bells you heard at the sunset?

Tell them how we clicked

Unexpected because you and I didn't fit the puzzle

But there was something in the way you looked at me

Or maybe it was in the way I kept stuttering

Tell them how you thought it was funny.

 

He sang as Zoey looked at him with the uttermost admiration. Her lips wouldn’t stay straight as she smiled her brightest. Their eyes were locked into each other and none of them could feel in control of their bodies anymore.

 

_And at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells._

_~ Antoine De Saint Exupery_

Oh, the bells were ringing alright. If there was anyone else on that hilltop, he or she would definitely deny the phenomenon but these two knew that the bells were ringing. Maybe they leaned in into each other a little too and it’d have been like a movie where the actors kiss passionately while there’s a soulful song at the background, stirring their hearts but this was not a movie and reality has an infamous reputation to ruin magical moments and so it did when Zoey’s phone started ringing through her pocket, startling both of them.

She picked up her phone quickly and listened to the voice on the other side. It was one of her classmates asking about her whereabouts and reminding her that they had to leave for Seoul. She hung up the phone after she conveyed her apologies to the girl on the line and turned to Jung Kook with puppy eyes.

“I had no idea how time flew so quickly. I’m sorry but I guess I have to leave. My classmates are waiting for me.” She got up and dusted her back while speaking.

Jung Kook got up too as he listened to her.

“Hey, I drove a car to here. If you want, I can drop you to the beach. It’s dark anyway.”

“No, no. Please, don’t take the trouble. It’s not a long walk really and I think your soul still needs a fixing,” She pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow at him,” I’d rather that you listen to your soul.”

“Come on, it’s no trouble really…”

“Jung Kook! I should go. Work on your soul, would you?”

Jung Kook sighed animatedly, and Zoey laughed at that.

“Good bye. All the best for your future endeavours.” Her words were soft and dripped with hesitation.

“You too.”

Their eyes conveyed their goodbyes too and soon Zoey was turning her heels to climb down the stony steps. Her heart was beating fast as the past hour played back in her mind. That was how it was supposed to end anyway, she thought. She climbed down the steps, walked the short passage to the ruddy path and finally trudged the curve to the hill. At the end of the curve, she could see his car. She walked past it, memorising it just as she had memorised his silhouette. She was already a few paces ahead of the car when her heart decided to speak to her. What she experienced in the last few hours was nothing less than enchanting. Was she really letting herself end things there? Her feet stopped. She had been having a horrible day and she would have never expected that night to turn out to be, well, what it turned out to be. It’d be a shame if she didn’t do something, anything, to honour what the universe had gifted her with. And she would regret not doing something, anything, in the years to come.

She had been immensely lucky that night so she decided to push that luck a little bit more. She quickly paced back to the car, took out a post-it note from her purse, scribbled something on it and stuck it to the front frame of the car. Then, with a content smile on her face she walked back to the beach.

 

Jung Kook stayed on the hilltop for a while after she left. He kept his eyes on her as she moved further away from him and climbed down the steps. He would be lying if he didn’t feel her taking his heart away with her. But he stayed there and let the magic of his happy place work on him as he hummed his solo song to himself. _You make me begin. Smile with me. Smile with me_. He tried to recall the choreography of the song again and to his surprise, he seemed to remember every step. His soul had been fixed. He eyed his surrounding, trying to soak in the last vestiges of the beautiful night. Her song was still in his hands and he carefully folded it and placed it in his pocket. When he felt satisfied, he got up to leave. He climbed down the steps and walked back to his car.

However, a yellow note caught his eye, gleaming in the dark, as he was about to get in. He hurriedly snatched the note from where it was stuck and scanned through it with wide eyes. As he read the note, his heart started beating abnormally. The note said-

_Jung Kook-ah, you’re going to be phenomenal in the upcoming Seoul concert. And don’t you think, even for a second, that A.R.M.Y is disappointed in you. We love you, Jung Kook. We love all seven of you. You all mean the world to us and A.R.M.Y will always protect you. That’s a promise._

_P.S- Have you ever seen yourself in a Spiderman costume? I bet you’d forget who Mr. Stark is when you see it ;) If you haven’t, text this number-_

_xxxxxxxxxx_

_< 3 _

Jung Kook felt like his breath had been restored as he read the note again and again, till he could recite every word of it. He couldn’t stop grinning and dancing around clutching the note close to his heart. However, he immediately got into the car and drove to where his hyungs were. He parked the car hurriedly upon reaching, and ran to his resort as fast as he could. He almost knocked over Namjoon as both of them collided at the entrance of the resort.

“What the…Jung Kook, where have you been?! Do you know how worried we were? You didn’t even pick up your phone. Jin hyung was going to…”

“Hyung, Hyung!” Jung Kook clutched Namjoon’s shoulder and shook it violently, unable to contain himself.

“Ow, ow! What?!” Namjoon yelled in pain.

Jung Kook thrust the note to his chest and Namjoon took control of it, amusedly.

“What is this?”

“I met a girl, hyung.”

“Huh?” Namjoon mumbled as he scanned the note.

“No, I met “the girl”, hyung!” Jung Kook exclaimed as he shoved him aside and took out his phone only to type fervently into it, while walking into the resort at the speed of light; leaving a very confused Namjoon clutching a very cryptic note.

 

Unknown number: I still have your song with me. Aren’t you worried that I’ll plagiarize it?

Zoey: Didn’t you already when you sang it before on the hill? No one asked you to.

Jung Kook- You should be happy your muse sang your own song to you.

Zoey: Oh, now you’re just being cocky. And who said that you’re my muse?

Jung Kook: It was plastered all over your face when I was singing to you.

Zoey: Please. You wish.

Jung Kook: Yes, I do.

Zoey: So when do you plan to give me my song back?

Jung Kook: Seoul concert. Backstage. Or maybe at dinner after that?

Zoey: Are you asking me out on a date?

Jung Kook: Please. You wish.


End file.
